Day After New Road-Accident Law Put On Hold, 13 Killed In Two Accidents

Hours after the new road accident law was put on hold, two accidents claimed the lives of 13 people. In one of the cases, the driver fled the spot leaving the victim to die and later surrendered before the police getting bail as per the existing law. Truck drivers from across India were on strike against the new road accident law that provides for 10 years imprisonment if the driver flees the spot after the accident and does not help the victim.

In Assam's Golaghat district, at least 12 people were killed and 25 others injured after a bus collided with a truck this morning. According to police, the accident took place in the Balijan area near Dergaon in Golaghat district.

"The bus carrying a team was going towards Tilinga Mandir from the Kamarbandha area of Golaghat district. The bus collided with a truck in the Balijan area and the truck was coming in the opposite direction from Jorhat's side. 10 bodies were recovered from the site and sent to Dergaon CHC. 27 injured persons were referred to Jorhat Medical College & Hospital where two people succumbed to their injuries," said Rajen Singh, Superintendent of Police of Golaghat. 

In another hit-and-run case from Maharashtra's Nagpur, a minibus hit a two-wheeler and dragged the vehicle to flee away from the spot. In the accident, a woman lost her life. The driver later surrendered before the police and was granted bail. He could have helped to take the victim to a hospital but fled from the spot. The family of the victim has alleged that the driver misused the provisions of the weak existing law.

The new road accident law provides for 10 years of jail term if the driver flees from the spot after the accident and does not surrender before the police.